The present invention relates in general to a ruggedized structure for housing, protecting and interfacing an information device, such as, but not limited to a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) type card or similar circuit card type of device, with electronic equipment, such as but not limited to a portable personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), and the like. The invention is particularly directed to a new and improved information device-retaining cartridge, that is configured to protectively house one or more information devices for removable engagement with an internal electrical connector of host computer equipment, while providing selective external access to either device.
There are a number of information devices, such as PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) type cards, that are configured as relatively compact computer-interfaces, and are intended to serve as industry standard interconnections between an electronic unit, such as a personal computer, and an auxiliary device, such as a communication interface (e.g. USB, Ethernet, wireless LAN/GPS antenna) modem, compact disk (CD) storage and retrieval unit, memory unit, and the like. Now although a compact information device may be configured to be readily xe2x80x98plugged inxe2x80x99 to a multipin socket of a device-receiving slot (e.g., card slot) of host equipment, that capability alone does not ensure that the installation will be trouble free. This is especially true where the host unit is expected to be used in an environment subject to substantial xe2x80x98hostilexe2x80x99 ambient influences, such as vibration, as well as moisture and foreign matter that may enter the host device through a device insertion slot.
Prior art proposals to deal with this problem have included the use of a protective sleeve designed to fit around a PCMCIA card, such as the sleeve device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,670 (the ""670 patent), or a protective seal-retaining, xe2x80x98end capxe2x80x99 type of adapter, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,355 (the ""355 patent). Such an end cap adapter is configured to engage one end of the card, providing a protective seal against the external surface of the computer surrounding the PCMCIA card slot, while also supplying an electrical link between an external connector, mounted on the adapter, and the input/output receptacle of the PCMCIA card that has been inserted into engagement with an associated connector internally of the computer""s PCMCIA card slot.
A shortcoming of the protective sleeve approach of the ""670 patent is the fact that it does not protect the card""s input/output portxe2x80x94something which the protective seal end adapter disclosed in the ""355 patent is designed to do. However, although the adapter of the ""355 patent is designed to provide a protective seal around the perimeter of the computer""s card slot, it is essentially an end cap with an electrical pass-through. As such, it cannot ensure that the card will properly mechanically and electrically engage a connector at the far end of the card slot. Instead, like other conventional card interfaces, proper engagement of the (PCMCIA) card depends upon the relatively limited structure of the computer""s card insertion slot, which is typically designed for a desk top or lap-top type of device.
In accordance with the present invention, these and other shortcomings of prior art device interfaces, such as those designed for PCMCIA type cards, are effectively obviated by a new and improved ruggedized xe2x80x98cartridgexe2x80x99-based, information device-retention architecture. As will be described, the cartridge of the invention is sealable against the outer surface of a host (computer) unit, and is configured to removably hold or capture at least a first information device, such as a PCMCIA type card, memory drive, etc. The cartridge is configured to retain a device in a manner that provides for aligned engagement with an internal electrical connector within a cartridge-receiving slot of the host equipment.
In addition to retaining a first information device, the cartridge according to the invention is configured to protectively house a second information device, either individually, or simultaneously with the first device. The second device, such as an auxiliary memory drive, as a non-limiting example, is retained at a location of the cartridge that is separate from the location of the first device. Moreover, the cartridge may be configured to provide external access to either or both devices.
For this purpose, the cartridge of the invention comprises a generally rectangular cartridge frame that is slidably insertable along guide rails of a shrouded cartridge-insertion slot of a host (computer) equipment, and securely retains at a first location thereof a first information device, such as an electronic PCMCIA card, or other type of device, such as an optical or a magnetic based component. When captured by the cartridge, the first device may readily engage a multipin electrical connector mounted on a host equipment""s printed circuit board. One end of the cartridge frame has a faceplate that is sealable against the exterior surface of the housing of the host equipment.
A pair of generally longitudinally extending side rails extend parallel to and are slightly spaced apart from side edges of a top wall of the cartridge frame and support hold-down spring fingers of a hold-down spring element. Those portions of the surface of the top wall between the side edges of the top wall and the side rails support the cartridge on a pair of guide rails of a cartridge insertion slot.
The hold-down spring fingers have generally flat, stripe shaped portions supported by the longitudinally extending side rails when the hold-down spring element is affixed to the frame. The hold-down spring fingers have respective device (e.g., PCMCIA type card)-engaging, V-shaped distal ends, that are adapted to engage and be spring-biased against the top surface of a device that has been placed upon the top wall of the cartridge frame, thereby mechanically urging the captured device into a generally xe2x80x98snugxe2x80x99 flat abutment with the cartridge frame.
A generally flat and relatively thin device (e.g., card) retention plate has a pair of spaced apart, generally flexible device-retention tangs that extend generally transverse to the plane of the plate and are sized to engage a rearward edge of a device retained on the cartridge frame. By abutting the end of the device/card, the retention tangs prevent its translation along the longitudinal (device insertion/removal) direction of the cartridge. This serves to ensure that a multiconductor socket at the forward end of the captured device will fully mechanically and electrically mate with a multipin carrier connector atop a carrier connector printed circuit board mounted at the forward end of the frame and containing wiring to an external multipin cylindrical cable connector.
Like its forward end, the rearward end of the captured device that is engaged by the retention tangs contains a multiconductor socket that is configured to mate with a multipin connector mounted to a printed circuit board within the host equipment. The multipin connector is adjoined by a xe2x80x98capturexe2x80x99 plate, that is configured to engage the retention plate when the cartridge is fully inserted into the host unit. The capture plate is configured to maintain the retention tangs against the device, until the device""s multiconductor socket has become fully disengaged from its associated multipin connector on the printed circuit board within the host unit, in the course of removal of the cartridge. This ensures that the device will not remain engaged with the multipin connector on the printed circuit board due to socket-pin friction during removal of the cartridge from the host unit.
A light pipe element is affixed to the forward portion of the top wall adjacent to the carrier connector and serves to optically couple an optical indicator on the device to an associated aperture in the cartridge faceplate. External electrical access to the carrier connector for the captured device is provided by way of a multipin cylindrical cable connector mounted at a first location of the faceplate. Also, external electrical access to a multipin electrical connector for a second device, such as an auxiliary card, may be provided by way of a multipin cylindrical cable connector mounted at a second location of the faceplate.
A generally V-shaped connector-restriction cam is pivotally mounted on the cartridge faceplate between the two multipin cylindrical connectors. When pivoted against either one of the connectors, the V-shaped cam allows cable connection access to the other connector, but mechanically prevents access to the one connector. The cam prevents electrical cables from simultaneously engaging both connectors. It also has a bore that provides optical access to the light pipe element.
The bottom wall of the cartridge frame retains a printed circuit board having a device-capture frame in which a second device, such as an auxiliary (microdrive) memory element, is removably insertable. A flexible tab may be attached to the second device to facilitate its removal from its associated printed circuit board. Configuring the cartridge to retain a second device, such as, but not limited to an ancillary memory card, facilitates transport of multiple devices in a common protective enclosure and may be critical in a hostile/restricted access environment. This can be especially useful, where the second device comprises an auxiliary card that is used to supply ancillary data to an application program with which the host equipment is used.
The cartridge insertion slot of the host device is configured to receive and engage the device-retention cartridge. To protect adjacent components of the host equipment""s printed circuit boards, and also provide a guide for the cartridge, a protective shroud of electrically insulating material is mounted to the host equipment""s internal printed circuit board structure adjacent to the cartridge insertion slot. The sidewalls of the shroud have interior stand-off guide rails that serve to maintain a device that has been mounted at the top wall of the cartridge frame in spaced apart relationship from various components of the computer""s circuit board, as the cartridge travels along the rails during its insertion into or removal from the host unit. Similarly, the top of the shroud prevents the device support structure on the bottom wall of the cartridge frame from coming in contact with components of the host unit.
A multipin connector on the host equipment""s circuit board has a generally linear array of electrical conductor pins that are engageable by an associated linear array of socket conductors of a device that has been captured on the cartridge frame. A capture plate is mounted atop the multipin connector so as to extend slightly beyond distal ends of the pins. This ensures that the capture plate will engage the retention plate just prior to the array of socket conductors of the device coming into contact with the array of electrical conductor pins of the connector, as the cartridge is inserted into the insertion slot of the host unit.
This anti tang-deflection force of the capture plate against the retention plate maintains the retention tangs against the device, so that friction between the multipin connector and the multipin socket of card cannot cause the installed information device (such as a PCMCIA type card) to produce a deflection of the tangs, that might otherwise allow the device to become detached from the cartridge during the latter""s removal from the host equipment. Once the device""s multiconductor socket has become fully disengaged from the multipin connector, the anti-deflection force of the capture plate against the tangs is no longer required, and the tangs will remain engaged with the information device as the cartridge is removed.